Mario St. Francis featured in Fashion Magazine

Featured Story

I met St. Francis at the SouthSide Starbucks. Casually dressed in biblical Birkenstocks, Nike running pants and several crosses hanging loosely around his neck, this godly creature informed me of the unheard. He had never been to a Starbucks before. He was charming, unbelievably good looking and so intriguing; the frappuccino was on the house.

New Addiction

I didn't expect for my spiritual stimulator to appear again, but he became a regular, arriving daily with school books in hand, the personality of my new best friend and a golden movie star smile. I had a new addiction. Yet, there was something special and mysterious about my coffee crush. He exuded this unexplainable aura, a natural charm that made a room illuminate at his entrance, followed gather in his presence, and a love so pure for his words he was almost a figure of the imagination. When he told me he was a man of God, I wasn't shocked, just disappointed that my passion had become The Passion of the Christ.

Off Limits

Although St. Francis is off limits by the words of the Lord, he is still available to practically every woman on the face of this planet. He was named one of the 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in Cosmo Magazine's 1999 edition from the Metropolitan D.C. area.

He is represented by top model and talent agencies in Miami, D.C. and Pittsburgh, appearing in regional ad campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger Silver Tab Jeans, and strutting the catwalk to rave reviews. Not to mention, a hardcore clubber seen hobnobbing the VIP lounges with celebs Lenny Kravitz, Carmen Electra and James Wood. Who is this gorgeous, Colombian model of faith? Mario St. Francis... Miami Playboy meets Jesus Christ Superstar.

"I always wanted to be able to tell my kids (if I got married) I waited until marriage and never did drugs, unfortunately I can only say one of them. But as of 4 years ago, I am mending my ways and want to at least be a 'born again or secondary virgin'. I've abstained from sex since 2000," he reveals over a nightcap.

The New Faithful

Mario St. Francis is not alone. Many young adults are turning to a life of faith, redirecting their fulfillment outside of the typical career and party scene. According to Colleen Carroll, author of THE NEW FAITHFUL: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy, "Sexuality is where ideals meet reality in terms of religious commitment, especially for single young adults. If they want to live their faith, those who are committed to to Christian orthodoxy believe they need to save sex for marriage. They believe they need to live in a way that is very different from the way the media portray their peers as living. And that's tough, I think for single Christians who don't always get a lot of support from the pulpit. Sometimes they may hear the message, but it can be hard to meet other Christians with similar values."

"Bringing the spiritual life into everyday joys is what makes living so miraculous," Mario continues, reflecting upon his decision to follow the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, taking his name to define his role as a model or rather, role model.

"My Career in modeling has given me an identity, recognizable to those around me. Now I can speak the truth of the Christian word and be heard. I don't preach to those who don't want to listen but if someone is in need of a spiritual lift up, then I'm the man."

With religion on the rise with high profile faith in Kaballa, Scientology, and Buddhism, Christianity continues to be the traditional practice of choice. Carrol remarks "In many case, the New Faithful are the people to whom their peers look to set trends. They are often quite successful. They're sometimes coming from the best schools. A lot of them are in places like Hollywood or on Capitol Hill. So they are not a fringe minority. They are in a minority, but it's a disproportionately influential one."

Moment of Truth

Carroll continues, "These young adults are reacting in large part against a lot of what they grew up in or what they've seen around them - not in the media and popular culture but even in their churches. A lot of Catholics today grew up when the Baltimore Catechism was out and "God is love" was in. They learned a lot about love but they often didn't learn much of anything about the faith. And a lot of them left for a time and came back or rolled along with it until they had a reconversion experience and really looked into the faith. Now they're very committed to unabashedly proclaiming what Catholicism they think aren't true to the Pope or to the teaching of the church or to Scripture."

Mario's moment of truth developed after a long withstanding party period playing between D.C. and Miami. He had been linked with Miss Cayman Island, working the VIP door at various nightclubs and spotted with Jean Claude Van Damn and Dennis Rodman.

"I was told to be a player, that's how you make it in this business. A photographer friend said you have to sleep you way to the top. I believed him until I bumped into Edward James Olmos from the hit show Miami Vice on Miami Beach. I bluntly asked him "Do I have to sleep my way to the top?" He stopped dead in his tracks and told me "I have a Masters in theater, what can you compete with?" I told him, "my looks, my charm." He laughed, "if you want to MAKE it, you have to study and work hard."

The conversion culminated in a reflection of his past. "All the accidents I've experienced were close calls to life and death. My brother's friend in high school died falling asleep at the wheel. I fell asleep at the wheel too and lived. I fell off a high dive straight into concrete. I had to swim against the current to save 4 elders lives in South America, but couldn't save myself. I was swept by the tide, left only with permanent scars. I broke my knuckle blocking a metal bar from hitting my face. I ran into a telephone poll drunk driving... just how many lives do I have? My life was saved for a reason. It was shown to me, 'I preserve you.' Why give up? I've had a wonderful life. I felt love, joy, no longer do I need to huff and puff to attain a greater goal.

I felt a call, this draw to love on a grander scale, more than the love received from a woman or material things. I see happiness in truth, beauty, and goodness. The Eucharist, devotion and resurrection is what fills my soul."